When doing some reading today I came across a daily devotion that inspired me...written by Billy Graham.
Those who sumbit to the will of God do not fight back at life. They learn the secret of yieding-of relinquishing and abandoning-their own lives and wills to Christ. And then He gives back to them a life that is far richer and fuller than anything they could ever have imagined.!
This reading really struck me as relevant to the experiment " Surprise me God", because I feel that by asking God to surprise me everyday, I give him the will to shape and mold my life, as he sees fit. By being surprised and aware of all the things happening to me, it is so fulfilling to know that God continues to surround me and sends goodness and surprises in to my life. Some of the surprises aren't as greatly appreciated.....but understood. Some of the surprises...are simple and touch my heart.
To those of you that watched extreme home makeover on Sunday night, I was so taken by the family they helped. They have a 19 year old son, who is completely blind and in a wheelchair, but very talented musically and vocally. He said I do not want people to look at my disabilities, I want them to look at my abilities instead. This courage and bravery when faced with such challenges.....WOW....this is a God sighting. I was surprised how emotional I became while watching this story. God touches our hearts by teaching us how difficult life can get, but also showing us how to over come adversity and trust! Peace Sue
Sunday, February 17, 2008
feb.17
as we were leaveing it was hard to say good-bye until the next time we meet again all because of how well we bonded together like a family which surprised me cause i usally don't feel that
-brian willms
-brian willms
feb.16
as my group and i join another group i bonded so quickly to my surprise that it felt like i've known them for several years
-brian willms
-brian willms
Days 11-12
I worshiped in multiple settings and churches this week/weekend. I am again surprised how different they all are; yet how similar they are. When Jesus is the center of worship it all holds together to Surprise us with His presence. Surprised how left out I felt when I was not invited to commune on Sat. night...was I to go away hungry?
Lord, let us not send folks away hungering for your presence.
Surprised by grace again today in morning worship. Surprised by being reminded of the truth of God loving us enough to say "No"... tonight. Blessed and Surprised when Luke said something like this tonight at Selah, "Change is inevitable...Change is always a surprise."....oh how true.
How true. Whether we like it or not, "Change Happens". I can approach it as an interruption or an opportunity. My first reflexive reaction is to resist it. I am so Scandinavian...uff da! My wife will attest to this truth...Surprise!
It has been a series of days that seem to blending together in a blur. Yet God has held me during this time. I am grateful for God's presence and strength when my own is spent. I am surprised how after a huge week and weekend how drained I am. How can this be? So many good things were experienced through God working in and around the days? "How can this be?" (I am so "opened up" ..."laid open" by this question from the Mary and Nicodemus' stories)...Surprise me God!
Surprise, again... you are human. Get some rest and tomorrow remember to pray...Surprise me, God...even if it is not on my schedule for the day. Give me strength for Your tomorrow.
Pastor T
Lord, let us not send folks away hungering for your presence.
Surprised by grace again today in morning worship. Surprised by being reminded of the truth of God loving us enough to say "No"... tonight. Blessed and Surprised when Luke said something like this tonight at Selah, "Change is inevitable...Change is always a surprise."....oh how true.
How true. Whether we like it or not, "Change Happens". I can approach it as an interruption or an opportunity. My first reflexive reaction is to resist it. I am so Scandinavian...uff da! My wife will attest to this truth...Surprise!
It has been a series of days that seem to blending together in a blur. Yet God has held me during this time. I am grateful for God's presence and strength when my own is spent. I am surprised how after a huge week and weekend how drained I am. How can this be? So many good things were experienced through God working in and around the days? "How can this be?" (I am so "opened up" ..."laid open" by this question from the Mary and Nicodemus' stories)...Surprise me God!
Surprise, again... you are human. Get some rest and tomorrow remember to pray...Surprise me, God...even if it is not on my schedule for the day. Give me strength for Your tomorrow.
Pastor T
feb. 15
i went to a boy scout camp and got ready to face the cold but to my surprise, before we left only 5 people from my goup including me went to the camp
WI surprises yet again!
It was my second weekend in a row being in WI and yet again I was surprised. Maybe there is something to that state after all. :)
Katie, Craig, Sam and I all went to WI to take a breather from life and the craziness of work and for me and Sam, grad school. We have our thesis papers to write in the next two months and are looking out at them looming and kind of saw this as a last hurrah before we really get down to buisness. Well there were a LOT of surprises... first - although most of you know that Katie and I are essentially the same person, we discovered that Sam and Craig are really similar as well! :) It was funny watching all four of us interact. When we got to WI it was snowing pretty hard, and we had to park the truck and load all of our gear onto two 4-wheelers and drive a little ways into the woods to the Rykal cabin. WOW. Rustic is was. There is no electricity, no running water, an outhouse, and NO HEAT. Keep in mind it was bearly 0 when we arrived, and the cabin was not much warmer. So we huddled together in front of the fireplace while it slowly heated the cabin to a balmy 40. By the time we went to bed it was 55 ... WOO HOOO!!! But when we woke in the morning, it was a toasty 70 in the house and even more lovely and sunny outside.
We slept in, hung out inside and then decided to take a 4wheel ride around the woods and trails... well that ride was a little more than we bargained for when we got stuck and had to push the atv's out of the snow, uphill, and hike part of the way. It was rough in deep snow, but eventually we got back to the groomed trails and were on our way. No matter how tired we were from pushing or hiking, there were beautiful surprises in nature everywhere we looked. What a gorgeous place they have ... quiet ... just God and us. I really felt like God was everywhere this weekend - and it was an amazing feeling. Somehow God just feels more present in the north woods than in the middle of minneapolis, and I don't know why... but I like it.
Thanks God, for the amazing weekend. And thanks for Katie and Craig and their little cabin in the woods... we are so blessed.
[
Natalia
Katie, Craig, Sam and I all went to WI to take a breather from life and the craziness of work and for me and Sam, grad school. We have our thesis papers to write in the next two months and are looking out at them looming and kind of saw this as a last hurrah before we really get down to buisness. Well there were a LOT of surprises... first - although most of you know that Katie and I are essentially the same person, we discovered that Sam and Craig are really similar as well! :) It was funny watching all four of us interact. When we got to WI it was snowing pretty hard, and we had to park the truck and load all of our gear onto two 4-wheelers and drive a little ways into the woods to the Rykal cabin. WOW. Rustic is was. There is no electricity, no running water, an outhouse, and NO HEAT. Keep in mind it was bearly 0 when we arrived, and the cabin was not much warmer. So we huddled together in front of the fireplace while it slowly heated the cabin to a balmy 40. By the time we went to bed it was 55 ... WOO HOOO!!! But when we woke in the morning, it was a toasty 70 in the house and even more lovely and sunny outside.
We slept in, hung out inside and then decided to take a 4wheel ride around the woods and trails... well that ride was a little more than we bargained for when we got stuck and had to push the atv's out of the snow, uphill, and hike part of the way. It was rough in deep snow, but eventually we got back to the groomed trails and were on our way. No matter how tired we were from pushing or hiking, there were beautiful surprises in nature everywhere we looked. What a gorgeous place they have ... quiet ... just God and us. I really felt like God was everywhere this weekend - and it was an amazing feeling. Somehow God just feels more present in the north woods than in the middle of minneapolis, and I don't know why... but I like it.
Thanks God, for the amazing weekend. And thanks for Katie and Craig and their little cabin in the woods... we are so blessed.
[
Natalia
surprise!
i wanted to write about how surprised mary must have been when the angel came to her telling her that she was going to have a son. This would be a surprise that i don't think i would handle very well. But, Mary believed the angel and was excited to be helping God. If that surprise came to me i think i would have not believed the angel. But Mary accepted the surprise as it came and did not complain. So my goal this week is to take any surprises God gives me. Good or bad, and make the best of them.
~Kelsey Kimball
~Kelsey Kimball
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